Indiana Jones and The Foundation Stone
by Mirai Trunks
Summary: Indiana Jones is back in an adventure that takes place between Raiders and The Last Crusade. Indiana searches for the fabled "Foundation Stone," the object believed to have been used in the Creation of the Universe.


  
Ok, just a quick disclaimer: I don't own Indiana Jones, Lucasfilm does. This story is my own creation though. Enjoy! _Ta ta raan taaaaaa, ta ta raan…_  


  
Indiana Jones and  
The Foundation Stone  


  


_The Tambopata Rainforest, Peru_  
**1937**  


  
A large swamp filled the landscape. The murky water was filled with debris, mostly bits of plant matter, and the occasional floating tree trunk. It's the rainy season, which meant everything is wet. _Everything_. Especially now, since the water level of the local river had increased multiple times its maximum capacity, thereby submerging several layers of the rainforest. This particular area was not so deep, and luckily, the rain had died down a little. A mist hung in the air and sparse droplets continued to descend from the dark clouds above.  
  
In the center of this recently created swamp was a strange stone pillar. It was many meters in height and had been engraved by the local people with symbols of commonly found creatures; monkeys, different forms of avian, and at the very top, _above _the surface of the water, was the statue of a ferocious looking alligator. The crushing jaws were carved in an outstretched position, as if the rock beast were reaching for a monkey dangling above the surface of a lake. Jutting out from the reptile's throat was a short octagonal pole that ended in a small basin. Resting in the basin at the top of this enormous column was a golden sculpture of an alligator sitting back on its hind legs, tail wrapped around its ankles. The effigy was the size of a basketball, and resembled a dog begging at the dinner table.  
  
_That _was his objective. His intent was to retrieve the ancient artifact and haul tail before something, or _someone_, ate him. The man lay prone, belly down, on a flatbed canoe. Slowly, and very cautiously, he dipped his small wooden paddle, no more than a large soupspoon, into the water next to him. With great care, so as not to attract attention by the movement, he stroked the paddle across the surface, inching his vessel forward. He repeated the action, with just as much care on the opposite side of the craft. Taking in deep, nervous breaths, he set down the paddle gently and wiped the back of his hand across his sweat-covered brow.   
  
Birds chirped, cooed, and cawed everywhere. He clenched his teeth, sitting up on his elbows. A ray of sunlight glinted off the snout of the statuette, causing him to narrow his gaze. A feeling of déjà vu swept over him. Just about one year ago, he had been in the same predicament concerning a golden Chachapoyan idol of fertility. That time he knew the nice, _dry _cave where the idol was located was booby-trapped. This time, he reasoned, the locals could not have possibly set up any shooting spears, flitting arrows, or humongous boulders designed to mow an intruder flat. He also knew he wouldn't run into Belloq, since his old nemesis had been melted away by the awesome power of the Ark of the Covenant. But Indiana Jones had seen stranger things than a man rising from the dead.  
  
The explorer let out a long breath that sounded like a hiss through his clenched teeth. He leaned hard on his left elbow, and moved his right hand toward the statue. His fingertips grazed the smooth surface of the figure. He grunted and maneuvered onto his side to increase his reach. This made him eye-to-eye with the large stone alligator that held the object of his quest like a mother alligator cradling a newborn. His hand clamped over the elongated snout of the golden figure and he attempted to pull it back into his canoe. The weight of the effigy was a surprise, nearly causing him to tumble into the slowly swirling waters. His torso hung out of the boat, both his hands were resting on the stone pedestal, while his feet tried to cling tenaciously to his backpack in the canoe. Jones rolled his eyes and balanced himself. His right hand cradling the heavy idol, he raised his left arm in search of a vine to hoist himself back onto the canoe. Luckily, he caught hold of a nice, thick vine. Suddenly, he noticed his vine was cool… and _scaly_.  
  
"Oh no…" he managed to gasp before the 12-foot long python fell into the boat in a heap. Without thinking, he untangled himself and dove into the water. The warm water provided a great deal of visibility, and Indiana clearly saw the school of fish scatter in all directions as he plowed through them clumsily. He peered around, contemplating his next move. _There_, he saw it, a dark form moving like a log near the submerged riverbank several feet down. _Up_,he had to go up, out of the water. Now. The adventurer clambered up then on top of the stone alligator, and reclined in its open jaws. Breathing hard, he stared into the grey sky for a moment. A slight movement about the surface of the water caught his attention. He sat up quickly, barely seeing the broad back shingled with scales disappear below the surface. Rolling onto his stomach, he again became eye-to-eye with a pair of alligator optical orbs. These, however, were _real_. The speckled green-brown eyes blinked at him. He transferred the statue to his left hand, and carefully edged his right hand toward the bullwhip at his waist.  
  
The alligator lunged forward with lightning speed, with jaws agape. Indiana sprang backward off the column and swung the bullwhip in a low arc under his feet. The lower portion and tip of the whip raked across the reptile's face just below the eyes. It let out a deep guttural growl and sank downward. Jones collapsed into the canoe, drenched and exhausted from his ordeal thus far. His eyes widened as he recalled why he left the boat in the first place. He stood up, arms flailing around. The long serpent had wound itself around his leg. Just as he was kicking over the water, the alligator surfaced and attacked again. It clamped down on the lower portion of the snake, which immediately released a relieved Indiana. Before it was completely dragged under, the snake made eye contact with him and promptly vomited a toad in his face. The small corpse flopped onto the canoe with a wet slap, and Jones wiped the residue from his face with the sleeve of his leather jacket.   
  
"I… _HATE_…snakes."  
  


End of Part One  



End file.
